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Charlie Whiting...

I just watched the coverage released of the drivers briefing from the Japanese Grand Prix.

Looking at that coverage, it could not be more obvious to me that Charlie Whiting is not up to the task he is charged with. He picks and choses what rules should be obeyed based upon the circumstances at hand. He admits in the briefing that Vettel broke a rule in Malaysia by taking the steering wheel with him but didn't deem it worth reporting to the stewards because it wasn't needed in that circumstance by the Marshals to remove the vehicle, which is the main reason the rule is in place to begin with. So Vettel broke the rule but didn't break the need behind the rule, therefore, it's okay.

Perhaps all the rules should be accompanied by the reasoning for a rule. That way drivers can very easily chose which rules they do and do not break and it'll all be okay.

This sort of fuckwitterry and bending of the rules to ones own interpretation is why F1 officiating has been so rubbish for many years. It introduces endless grey areas which drivers and fans must frustratingly try to continually decipher. Rules are rules and should be obeyed regardless of the situation or circumstances at hand.

So basically, the way F1 works is you can break any rule you like but as long as Charlie is okay with it, you're fine. It's like me getting caught driving dangerously swerving on the road and then arguing in court that any punishment didn't apply because the road was clear so I wasn't endangering myself or other drivers which is the main reason the rule is in place; thus, leave me go home please. I can't imagine that working with any judge.

Charlie Whiting is an embarrassment and we need someone with a pair of balls in there whom will apply the rules 100% all the time.

I get your point there , Blackie(can I call you that ?) , but I also understand why that little bit of leniency was handed out here .
That Ferrari wheel , being detachable , was unlikely to make it back to the garage unless Vettel took it there , with all the fans about to stream in , so , though risky because of potential penalty , it was likely the smart thing to do with such an expensive piece of kit .
As pushing the car off the track was quite impossible without a jack and dolly , being it was riding on only three corners , the wheel wasn't necessary , and though the rule states it must be replaced , having it there would serve only to put it at risk of loss , not to make the car's removal easier or faster as is the intent of the rule during the race .

I get your frustration with the "letter of the law" , but , in this case , I think the leniency was a good thing .
You might be right that he needs to go , but not for this , in my opinion .

TBK, I think you're wrong on this one. Enforcement of rules for the rule's sake and not for the reason behind the rule is one of the dumbest things anyone can do. Does it leave grey areas? Sure it does. That's why judges have discretion to hand out lessor or no penalty based on the facts of the case at hand.

Guys, Charlie's job is to determine whether a rule has been broken. It's the Stewards job to judge the penalty, if any. If a rule has been broken then Charlie's job is to report it to the Stewards for investigation. The man is a total clown and he has needed to be replaced for many years now.

@Bagwan completely agree on track limits as well. My opinion on track limits is either enforce them evenly at every corner rigidly or don't enforce them at all. If the drivers take advantage of an extra bit if tarmac then, well so be it.

Who here remembers first corner in Austria back in the day? Every driver basically ignored the kerb and no one gained any real advantage from it because they all did it. That, imo, is the only real way to deal with it barring putting grass or sand on the ither side of the kerb.

I poached this off another forum! I don't know if they are purposely dogging us or not. But what ever the reason we need a huge consortium of players, and maybe take home the big eagle.
My picks are...